Reviews of productions based in Toronto – theatre includes traditional definitions of theatre, as well as dance, opera, comedy, performance art, spoken word performances, and more. Productions may be in-person, or remote productions streamed online on the Internet.
So, yesterday saw the 2009 version of the Harold Awards. It’s the place where independent theatre folks get recognized in a light-hearted, but heart-warming way.
Winning comes with a price – the current winners plan next year’s Harolds and choose the winners, but it’s a pretty fun price.
This year’s winners were:
By Crystal Wood
This past Saturday, I got into bed with a bunch of strangers.
No, it’s not what you’re thinking. I just happened to be in the audience of draft89 theatre collective’s new work, John/Yoko Bed Piece. The play recreates the 1969 bed-in for peace staged by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and with the intimate setting and throw pillow seats, the audience really was in on the experience.
From the press release:
Join us June 4th when Toronto’s only ten-minute play festival, InspiraTO, kicks off its 4th season with 10 exciting new plays by a diverse array of playwrights. Playing until June 13th at the Lorraine Kimsa Studio Theatre, InspiraTO gives Torontonians the chance to experience the growing genre of ten-minute plays.
Continue reading be sure to check out the InspiraTO festival starting June 4
By Ryan Oakley
(ed. note: This is a repost of the original article because WordPress apparently ate the original.)
Before I attended the East Side Players’ adaptation of Waiting in the Wings my editor told me that community theatre doesn’t get enough reviews. After ten minutes of watching the play, I could understood why: It’s very hard.
The cast, who were mainly older ladies, looked like they were having fun. There was no pretention, no high-flown stupidity disguised as vile philosophy and no monologues from some rich beatnik in a turtleneck. It just seemed like decent people having a genuinely good time.
This completely dulled my spite. And I need my spite. Without it, I’m simply one of you.
By Michelle Barker
I have to start by saying that A Beautiful View at Tarragon, written by Daniel McIvor, was everything that I wanted it to be. This isn’t hyperbolic trope; I was actually enamored by almost every aspect of the piece. Continue reading A Beautiful View – Tarragon Theatre